A coalition of Nigerian legislative lawyers under the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) has petitioned the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice to impose sanctions on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of Nigeria’s National Assembly. The call comes in response to the controversial declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State on March 18, 2025.
In a nationwide broadcast, President Tinubu justified the emergency rule by citing a “political crisis” in Rivers State, accusing Governor Sim Fubara of demolishing the State House of Assembly building. Subsequently, Governor Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the Rivers State House of Assembly were suspended for six months. A retired Vice Admiral, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, was appointed Sole Administrator to govern the state during the emergency period.
ALDRAP has challenged the legality of the emergency declaration and the suspension of democratic governance in Rivers State. The lawyers argue that the President and the National Assembly violated both Nigeria’s constitution and ECOWAS protocols by imposing military rule and sidelining elected officials without due process.
In a letter dated April 17, 2025, ALDRAP demanded that President Tinubu disclose the legal provisions empowering the Sole Administrator to appoint local government administrators a demand that went unanswered. The group has now escalated the matter to the ECOWAS Court, seeking sanctions against Tinubu, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the House Committee overseeing Rivers State, and the Attorney General of the Federation.
The lawsuit cites violations of Article 1 of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, which prohibits unconstitutional changes of government and mandates zero tolerance for actions undermining democratic principles. ALDRAP warns that the emergency rule and military appointment contravene these core principles and undermine regional efforts to uphold democracy.
ALDRAP also addressed the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, urging consistency in the application of sanctions. The lawyers highlighted that ECOWAS recently sanctioned Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger for unconstitutional governance changes and argued that Nigeria should not be exempt from similar consequences.
“If ECOWAS fails to sanction President Tinubu, it risks appearing unjust and may embolden further democratic backsliding in West Africa,” the letter stated. ALDRAP accused the President of misleading the nation by framing the crisis in Rivers State as a broad political emergency, when it was essentially a dispute between two individuals, including a close ally of the President.
The petition remains pending before the ECOWAS Court, with no hearing date announced. Meanwhile, the Rivers State emergency rule continues to face criticism from various quarters, with calls for a return to democratic governance growing louder.
